ALBPM WorkSpace

Version: 6.0
2 | ALBPM | TOC

Contents
WorkSpace Overview...........................................................................................................3
What Is a Business Process?................................................................................................4
What Is a Process Instance?.................................................................................................5
Typical Workflow..................................................................................................................6
Authentication in WorkSpace..............................................................................................7
Panels Overview....................................................................................................................8
Applications Panel....................................................................................................................................8
Views Panel..............................................................................................................................................8
Default Views...............................................................................................................................8
Work List Panel........................................................................................................................................9
Selecting Instances.....................................................................................................................11
Searching for Instances..............................................................................................................11
Saving a View.............................................................................................................................12
Creating a Presentation...............................................................................................................12
Bookmarking Instances..............................................................................................................13
Instance Detail Panel..............................................................................................................................13
Executing Tasks..........................................................................................................................14
Adding Notes..............................................................................................................................15
Viewing Notes............................................................................................................................15
Adding Attachments...................................................................................................................16
Opening Attachments.................................................................................................................16
Sending Consultations................................................................................................................16
Viewing Consultations...............................................................................................................17
Viewing an Audit Trail...............................................................................................................17
Querying and Viewing Audit Records in WorkSpace................................................................17
Viewing the Business Process....................................................................................................18
Handling Instances.............................................................................................................19
Viewing Instances...................................................................................................................................19
Sending Instances to the Next Activity..................................................................................................19
Sending Instances to Participants...........................................................................................................20
Sending Instances Back..........................................................................................................................20
Reference.............................................................................................................................21
Editing a Business Rule..........................................................................................................................21
Adding Conditions.....................................................................................................................21
Editing Conditions......................................................................................................................21
Removing Conditions.................................................................................................................22
Advanced Editor Mode..............................................................................................................22
 ALBPM | WorkSpace Overview | 3

WorkSpace Overview
WorkSpace is the AquaLogic BPM Suite component that you use to carry out tasks that are part of a business process.
BPM stands for Business Process Management, a technique by which the various activities carried out in an organization
are sequenced and organized into explicitly defined business processes.
The AquaLogic BPM Suite is made up of several components that can be used to design, implement, simulate, deploy
and work with business processes defined in software. A business process generally includes tasks done automatically
as well as tasks which require human interaction. WorkSpace is the component that provides an interface for the human
activities in the business process.
For a more detailed description of business processes, you can read What Is a Business Process? on page 4

What can you do with WorkSpace?

WorkSpace is the application that you use to interact with business processes based on the roles assigned to you.
WorkSpace is a Web application, so it will work from any browser with access to the WorkSpace application server.
With WorkSpace, you can manage What Is a Process Instance? on page 5, get information about business processes,
interact with other participants, and perform tasks. Specifically, with WorkSpace you may:
• View the list of process instances pending in your inbox
• Execute tasks. That is, carry out an interactive activity on a particular instance.
• Searching for Instances on page 11 by different criteria
• Saving a View on page 12
• Instance Detail Panel on page 13, including the Viewing an Audit Trail on page 17
• Assign an instance to yourself. This effectively locks it for your exclusive use.
• Create a new instance, if you have permission to do so.
• Adding Attachments on page 16 to an instance
• Adding Notes on page 15 to an instance
• Bookmarking Instances on page 13
The WorkSpace main page contains panels, each of which has a specific function. Four panels are available by default:
• Applications Panel on page 8
• Views Panel on page 8
• Work List Panel on page 9
• Instance Detail Panel on page 13

A Note on Instances
Throughout the WorkSpace documentation, the term instance is used to denote a given item of work as it travels through
the business process. Instance is a generic term, and in your particular environment you may never actually talk about
instances. Instead, users will usually think about the specific job they are doing. If you handle purchase orders, your
term for instance could be purchase order. If you process loan applications your term might be loan request, or if you
handle insurance claims your instance may be called a claim application, or simply a claim.
4 | ALBPM | What Is a Business Process?

What Is a Business Process?

A business process represents a specific set of business tasks and activities which must be executed to reach a well-defined
outcome. When this outcome is reached, the process is complete.
Examples of simple processes include hiring an employee, processing a sales order, or reimbursing a business expense.
More complex business processes can also be designed according to the needs of a particular organization.
Sometimes it may not be possible to reach the main goal of the process. For example, the shipping clerk may havre to
cancel a sales order because the product is out of stock. Therefore, a business process must allow for different possible
end conditions besides the principal objective of the process. Ideally it will allow more than one way to reach this
objective. For instance, if the product is out of stock it may be possible to offer an equivalent alternative. In turn, this
offer may be accepted or rejected. A range of possibilities can thus be included in the process.

The Happy Path

The most straightforward or "most expected", path through the process is frequently called the happy path. This path
leads directly to the goal of the process. In the case of a purchase order, the happy path would go from order to delivery
with no complications such as an out of stock condition.
When designing a process, it is usually a good idea to start out with the happy path, and gradually add the handling of
more complex conditions to it. To make the design intention clear, it is also good practice to lay out the happy path as
a straight line from left to right, and to show less common paths as deviations from the happy path.

Activities
Business processes are broken down into logical steps called activities, each of which can comprise one or more tasks.
When activities are executed automatically by the system, they are called automatic activities. When human input is
required, they are known as interactive activities. The activities of the business process are linked by transitions, which
determine the order in which they are performed and the basic workflow for the process.

Roles and Participants

Each interactive activity belongs to a role. In turn, roles are assigned to participants, who are the actual individuals who
interact with the process. A participant may have one role or many. The participants who can perform an activity are
those who have been assigned the role the activity belongs to.

Exceptions
In the real world it is often impossible to predict every possible situation, so a business process usually includes a way
to deal with exceptions. Exceptions are special situations where it is not possible to reach one of the normal pre-defined
outcomes of the process. However, the process can include a way to handle these events and this usually involves calling
attention to the situation so it can be resolved by one of the participants.
 ALBPM | What Is a Process Instance? | 5

What Is a Process Instance?

If you think of a business process as a sequence of steps, then you can think of a process instance as a specific item
going through those steps.
The following is a somewhat formal definition:
• A business process instance is a specific item proceeding through a business process.
For example, in a business process which handles purchases, each instance will be an individual purchase order. There
can be any number of instances traversing a business process, as there can be any number of purchase orders going
through a purchase order system.
Every instance has a specific history and properties. A purchase order usually contains a customer name, a list of items,
an amount due, dates of delivery and payment, and other required data. An instance will also have various status
conditions. In the case of a purchase order, you would want to know if it has been approved, if it has been paid for, or
if the requested products have been shipped.
Each instance has a beginning and end, as defined in the business process. As the instance proceeds through the process,
it will be worked on by various participants or processed automatically by software.
Note: In order to understand what a business process instance is, you must first understand the concept of a What
Is a Business Process? on page 4.
6 | ALBPM | Typical Workflow

Typical Workflow
In WorkSpace, a business process is executed in several automatic and manual steps. To illustrate how this works, we
outline a typical workflow.
1. A participant logs in to WorkSpace. There may or may not be existing instances for the participant to work on. This
is a function of the availability of instances in general, and also of the roles which are assigned to the participant.
2. If no instances are present, a participant with permission to generate an instance can do so. For example, in a purchase
order process, a customer orders a product and the seller initiates a purchase order instance. Alternatively, the BPM
system creates the instance automatically, for example due to a purchase being made from a Web site.
3. The BPM system generates the instance and makes it available to those participants assigned to roles that allow them
to handle the first task of the instance.
4. One of the participants who can handle the first task sees the new instance in his inbox. The participant assesses the
work required and views any notes and attached files included with the instance. If necessary, the participant can
send a consultation to another participant to ask a question about the instance.
5. The participant executes the task. The appropriate application launches automatically, the participant enters the
required information, and the task is submitted.
6. The BPM system processes the instance and sends it to the participant assigned to the next task. Depending on how
the process is designed, a single participant can handle more than one task.
7. The next participant performs the task, and the BPM system processes it and sends the instance to the next task and
participant.
8. The result of a given activity may determine the next activity chosen. For example, if the purchase order requires a
product which is out of stock, the process will require a different activity than if the product is in stock.
9. Once the every task and activity applicable to an instance has been completed, the process is complete, and the
instance ends.
 ALBPM | Authentication in WorkSpace | 7

Authentication in WorkSpace

To access WorkSpace, you must enter the username and password specified in your participant profile. If you do not
enter the correct username and password, the login fails. If, after you have logged in, there is a period of idleness that
reaches the configurable time limit, your session expires and you are prompted to log back in.
8 | ALBPM | Panels Overview

Panels Overview
The WorkSpace home page is divided into panels, each of which has a specific function.
As described in WorkSpace Overview on page 3, the following panels are available:
• Applications Panel on page 8
• Views Panel on page 8
• Work List Panel on page 9
• Instance Detail Panel on page 13

Refreshing a Panel
Sometimes you may wish to refresh the content of a panel. For instance, you may know that a new instance has been
added to your Inbox or that the status of an existing instance has changed. In this case you would want to refresh the
Work List panel.

To refresh any panel, click on the Refresh ( ) icon in the panel title bar.

Applications Panel
The Applications panel is where you can perform basic WorkSpace actions, such as creating a new instance or performing
a given activity.
The applications available in WorkSpace depend on the process design and the roles assigned to the user currently logged
in. The list of applications available also depends on the BPM processes that are deployed and running. The applications
panel will be empty if no processes are running, or if you are not a participant able to execute any application in whatever
processes are running.
You may also access information about a given application in the Applications panel by clicking on the Documentation
icon ( ).

Views Panel
If you work with a large number of instances, sometimes you need to see only a few of them at a time. To do this,
WorkSpace has views.
A view is like a set of filters, or a query, which only retrieves instances that match whatever criteria was specified in
the view definition. Views are displayed and created in the Work List panel, but you select a view from the Views
panel.
The Views panel displays the views which are available to you in an expandable tree, such as that found in Windows
Explorer and similar programs. By expending and collapsing the tree branches, you can easily manage a large number
of views. Views which are related go together, so for example the default History views all go into the History folder
of the Views tree.
For instructions to create a view, see Saving a View on page 12.

Default Views
WorkSpace includes a number of convenient default views, described in this topic.
 ALBPM | Panels Overview | 9

View Description

Inbox [ ] Displays instances currently available to you. Instances become available based on role
assignments, consultations, and assignments from other users.

Bookmarks [ ] Recalls instances that you have bookmarked.

Consultations [ ] Displays instances with consultations addressed to you.

History views [ ] Provides a history of active instances you have processed. The default history views are:

• Today
• Yesterday
• [Prior days of the current week]
• Last week
• Two weeks ago
• Three weeks ago

Note: The default views do not display instances that have been completed or aborted.

Work List Panel

The Work List panel is where you will see the instances corresponding to the view you have selected in the Views
panel.
From the Work List panel, you can:
• Selecting Instances on page 11 and perform operations on them or view detailed information in the Instance Detail
panel
• Searching for Instances on page 11 that match certain conditions
• Saving a View on page 12 with sets of search conditions, for later use
• Creating a Presentation on page 12, where you define the columns you want to see in a view
• Bookmarking Instances on page 13 for later easy access

Columns
In the Work List panel you can choose the columns that are presented in a given view. You can define the columns you
want to see, and save column arrangements. A particular column arrangement is known as presentation.
The following columns are available:
• Actions
• Activity
• Activity Deadline
• Copy
• Creation Time
• Deadline
• Description
• Has Attachments
• Has Notes
• Initiator
• Initiator Name
• Instance Number
10 | ALBPM | Panels Overview

• Parent Copy
• Participant
• Priority
• Process
• Process Deadline
• Received
• Status
• Task Participant

Special Columns
You can add or remove any column from your presentation except for the Actions column, which
is always shown and is always the rightmost column. This column is identified by an ellipsis (...).
You click on the ellipsis to edit the Presentation. The Actions column shows the actions you can
perform on each instance. If your participant can do nothing with the instance, no action icons will
appear. Otherwise, one or more of the following actions will be shown:

Icon Action Name

Execute

Send

Send To

Grab

Grab (with drop-down list)

(or custom icon) Process-specific (see below)

You perform an action by clicking on the icon.

Process-specific actions are those that have been defined by the designer of the process. The process
you are running may or may not have process-specific actions. If present, they may be represented
by a custom icon specific to your installation. The Grab with drop-down list action appears when
more than one Grab is available.

The Priority column is indicated by a flag icon ( ), and priority level is shown by its color. If there
is no flag, priority is normal. Priority status can be one of the following:

Flag Priority

Highest

High

none Normal

Low

Lowest

The Status column shows an icon with the current status of the instance. Possible status values are:

Icon Status

none Running

Exception
 ALBPM | Panels Overview | 11

Icon Status

Suspended

Grabbed

Completed

Aborted

Activity Completed

An instance is considered to be in process when its status is neither Completed nor Aborted.

Selecting Instances
There are two modes of instance selection. You can select instances by clicking anywhere on the instance row, or you
can select instances by setting the checkbox. Each mode of selection has a different use.

Single Instance Selection (Highlight)

When you select an instance by clicking on the row, the instance will be highlighted and the instance will be shown in
the Instance Details panel. You can only select one instance at a time with this method, since only one instance can
appear at a time in the Instance Details panel.
This documentation refers to this as a highlight selection.

Multiple Instance Selection (Checkbox)

When you select an instance by marking the checkbox, the Operations menu is enabled. You can select many instances
with this method, and any operation you perform will be done on all of them. Instances selected via checkbox do not
appear in the Instance Details panel, which will always show the instance currently highlighted regardless of its checked
state.
This documentation refers to this as a checkbox selection.

Searching for Instances

If there are no views configured to retrieve the range of instances you want, you can perform a search based on conditions
you specify.
Instance searches can be based on process, assigned roles, status, and whether the instances meet certain conditional
criteria.
To search for instances:

1. In the Work List window, click on the Search icon [ ].

The Search pane of the Work List panel will open in the top of the panel.
2. In the Search pane, in the Processes section, set the checkboxes for each of the processes you want to include in the
search.
3. To search for instances based on their role assignment, in the Show Instances section, configure the Assigned to:
drop-down list.
To include aborted or completed work items in the search, you must select All for this option.
4. To search for instances based on their status, in the Include Work Items section, select checkboxes for each of the
statuses you want to include.
5. You can add conditions to the search as needed. For each condition you want to add:
a) set the Condition drop-down list to the condition you want to check for.
12 | ALBPM | Panels Overview

b) use the Add button to add it to the search.

c) Set the condition fields as needed.
d) To remove a condition, click on the Remove icon ( ) for that condition.

6. Click Search.
The search results are displayed in the Search dialog box.
7. Before closing the Search dialog box, you can Saving a View on page 12, if desired.

Saving a View
You can create custom views that specify which instances are displayed and how they are displayed. When you create
a custom view, you can access it from the Views panel.
Instances can be displayed based on their process, assigned roles, and whether they meet certain conditional criteria.
You can also choose how the instances in a view are displayed and sorted by Creating a Presentation on page 12.
To create and save a view:

1. In the Views panel, select a view.

The view will display in the Work List panel.
2. In the View toolbar, click the Search icon ( ).
The search pane will appear in the top of the Work List panel.
3. In the Processes section, select the checkbox for each of the processes you want to include in the view.
4. To filter instances based on their role assignment, in the Show Instances section, choose the condition you desire
from the Assigned to drop-down list.
To include aborted or completed instances in the view, you must select All for this option
5. To filter instances based on their status, in the Conditions section, select the Case sensitive checkbox so that
WorkSpace matches the case of the conditions, and the Match all conditions checkbox if you want all conditions
to be met, rather than just one or some of them.
6. Use the Add button to add conditions to the search as needed. To remove a condition, click on the Remove icon ( )
for that condition.
7. When you have set all the search parameters, click Search.
The instances that match your search criteria are shown in the Work List.
8. If you are satisfied with the results of the search, click Save As to save the search as a view for future use.
The Save View As dialog box will appear.
9. Fill in the Description text box. Optionally, specify a parent view (so your new view hangs from the parent view in
the Views panel). Click Save.

Your view will have been saved with the search conditions specified. It will appear in the Views panel.
You may need to manually refresh the Views panel to see the new view.

Creating a Presentation
A presentation defines a column arrangement to be used when viewing instances in the Work List panel. When looking
at a view, you can use an existing presentation or create a new one to be associated with that view.
To create a presentation:

1. You should have a view in the Work List panel. If not, select a view from the Views panel.
2. In the Work List panel, click on the ellipsis (...), which is the rightmost column heading.
The Presentation dialog box will display, set in the Columns tab.
3. Click on the New Presentation icon ( ), and write the name of the presentation you will create in the Presentation
Id text box.
 ALBPM | Panels Overview | 13

4. Under the Columns tab, you will see two list boxes, the Available Columns list box and the Presentation Columns
list box. Select the columns you want to display from the first list and transfer them to the second by clicking on the
right arrow ( ). Remove unwanted columns from the presentation by selecting them and clicking on the left arrow
( ).
The set of columns you've chosen will appear in the Presentation Columns list box.
5. To set the position of a column, select it on the Presentation Columns list box, and use the up ( ) and down ( )
arrows to move the column to the position desired.
6. Optionally, you may set format and sorting options from the Format and Sorting tabs.
7. Once you have set your presentation, click Save.

A new presentation will be saved under the name you have chosen. This presentation will be associated to the current
view.

Bookmarking Instances
To help you easily access specific instances, you can bookmark instances and recall them from the Bookmarks view (a
default view).
To bookmark an instance:

1. In the Work List panel, select the checkbox for the instance(s) you want to bookmark.
2. From the Operations menu, select Bookmark.

The instance(s) will be bookmarked and will be visible in the Bookmarks view, so long as the instances are still active.
Note: The Bookmarks view only displays active bookmarked instances. Completed or aborted instances will no
longer appear in the Bookmarks view.

Instance Detail Panel

The Instance Detail panel provides detailed information about an instance that you have selected in the Work List panel.
It also contains a panel with tabs that allow you to perform different operations over the selected instance.
The Instance Detail provides information about the selected instance and about the activity task in the process where
the instance is sitting.

Instance Information
The following table describes the information about the selected instance that you can view in the Instance Detail panel:

Field Description

Instance Shows the description of the selected instance.

Priority
Indicates the priority of the selected instance.
Possible values are:

• lowest
• low
• normal
• high
• highest

Process Shows the description of the process to which the selected instance belongs to.
14 | ALBPM | Panels Overview

Field Description

Status
Indicates the status of the selected instance.
Possible values are:

• None
• Running
• Exception
• Instance suspended
• Grabbed
• Completed
• Aborted
• Activity completed

Participant Specifies the participant who is currently assigned to this instance. If the instance is not assigned
the value of this field is Unassigned.

Received Specifies the date when the selected instance arrived to the current activity.

Activity Information
The following table describes the information about the activity in the process where the selected instance is curently
located:

Field Description

Activity Shows the description of the activity in the process where the selected instance is currently located.

Status
Specifies the status of the main task of this activity.
Possible values are:

• Pending
• Failed
• Completed
• Selected
• Running
• Activity completed
• Instance routed
• Already completed

Mandatory Specifies if you must run the main task of this activity before sending the instance to the next
activity in the process.

Repeatable Specifies if you can run the main task of this activity multiple times.

Last Run Specifies the date when the main task of this activity was run. This field is relevant only if the
main task is repeatable.

Note: If the activity does not have a main task defined, the properties status, mandatory and repeatable do not
appear.

Executing Tasks
Instances are processed by completing tasks. Some tasks are mandatory while others are optional. You can execute both
optional and mandatory tasks from the Instance Details panel.
 ALBPM | Panels Overview | 15

To execute a task on an instance in the Instance Details panel:

1. If you want to execute the main task, click on the Execute button ( ) on the right side of the Instance Detail panel,
and proceed to step 3.
2. If you want to execute an optional task, click on the Optional Tasks tab and click on the Execute button ( )
corresponding to the task you want to run.
3. Input the data or perform the steps required by the task. Some tasks, particularly optional tasks, may simply give
you information and require no input on your part.

The task will be complete. If it was an optional task, it may still be available to execute (some optional tasks can be
executed more than once). If it was a required task, the system may send the instance to the next task, removing it from
your Work List. If all required tasks are complete, and ALBPM did not send the instance, then you have to Sending
Instances to the Next Activity on page 19 manually.

Adding Notes
Participants can add text notes to an instance. Participants who work with the item later in the process can read the notes
and add notes of their own if necessary.
Caution: Once a note is added to an instance it remains for the life of the instance and cannot be removed or
modified. You should verify the contents of any note you enter.

To add a note:

1. In the Instance Detail panel, select the Notes tab ( ) .

A table is displayed with the notes that have been added to the instance.
2. Click on the Add Note button ( ).
The Note dialog box appears.
3. Write or paste your note in the text box and click OK to add it.
The note added to the notes table.

Note: Notes are sometimes added automatically to an instance as it advances through the process. These notes,
which appear the same as notes added by participants, often indicate the status of certain tasks and activities.

Tip: Notes are lost after the instance has ended, when it is discarded a few days or weeks later, depending on how
your installation is configured. If there are any notes you wish to have easy access to after the instance is no longer
available, you should copy the note to a text file on your system.

Viewing Notes
Participants can add notes to an instance to maintain additional information about it for later reference.
You can determine if an instance shown in the Instance Detail panel has notes by looking at the number between
parenthesis displayed in the Notes tab. This shows the number of notes that have been added to the instance. If the
number is 0 (zero), then the instance has no notes.
You can also determine if an instance has notes directly in the Work List panel, so long as the Has notes column is
visible. If the instance has notes, the Notes icon ( ) appears in the column.
To view notes that have been added an instance:

1. In the Instance Detail panel, Select the Notes tab.

A table is displayed with the notes that have been added to the instance.
2. If the note is short, the entire note is displayed in the Note column. If the note does not fit in the Note column, click
on the ellipsis (...) to display the whole note.
16 | ALBPM | Panels Overview

Adding Attachments
You can attach files to an instance in order to provide additional information or documentation about it. Participants
with proper permission can view, edit, and update the attached files.
To attach a file to an instance:

1. In the Instance Detail panel, select the Attachment tab ( ).

A table is displayed with the attachments that have been added to the instance.
2. Click on the Attach file button ( ).
The Attach file dialog box will appear.
3. Specify a file in the Select file text box, or by clicking on the Browse... button, which will open a file selection dialog
box.
4. Write a short description of the file in the Description text box. You may also add text to the Remarks text box.
The description is required, while the remarks are optional.
5. Click on the Attach file button.

The file you specified in step 3 will be attached to the instance. If you do not see the file listed in the Attachments table,
you may need to refresh the Instance Detail panel.
Tip: Attached files are lost after the instance has ended, when it is discarded a few days or weeks later, depending
on how your installation is configured. If there are any files you wish to have easy access to after the instance is no
longer available, you should keep a copy of them on your system.

Opening Attachments
Explains how to open an attachment
You can determine if an instance shown in the Instance Detail panel has files attached to it by looking at the number
between parentheses displayed in the Attachments tab. This shows the number of files that have been attached to the
instance. If the number is 0 (zero), then no files are attached.
To view an attachment:

1. In the Instance Detail panel, select the Attachments tab.

A table is displayed with the files that have been attached to the instance.
2. Click on the file name.
The Attachment Detail dialog box will appear, showing information about the file.
3. If you want to download the file, click on the Download button, otherwise click on the OK button.
If you clicked on the Download button, your browser will present download options, such as whether to open the
file directly or save it to a folder.
4. Choose your download option and proceed with the download.
The attached file is downloaded.

Sending Consultations
When processing an instance, you may need to ask other participants about the work item. To ask a question about the
work item, you can send a consultation.
To send a consultation:

1. In the Instance Detail panel, select the Notes tab ( ).

A table is displayed with the last consultation that you have received about the instance.
2. Click on the New Consultation button ( ).
The Consult dialog box appears.
 ALBPM | Panels Overview | 17

3. To specify the destination for the consultation, type a name in the Participant text box, or click the participant icon
( ) next to the box and select a name from the list. If the list is long and has many pages, you can make it shorter
by typing in a few characters of the participant's name and clicking on the participant icon.
4. Type the message for the consultation in the Note text box.
5. Click OK.

Your consultation will be added to the instance, which will become visible in the Consultations view of the user you
are consulting. The consultation itself appears under the Consultations tab when that user highlights the instance that
contains it.
WorkSpace also adds every consultation as a note. As with any other note, consultation notes are visible to all users
who can see the instance.

Viewing Consultations
You can view instances with consultations sent to you using the Consultations view. Then, you can select an instance
with a consultation and read it in the Instance Detail panel

1. To display a list of work items with consultations, select the Consultations view ( ) in the Views panel.
The Work List panel will show the Consultations view. This view shows only those instances with consultations.
2. To view a consultation for an instance, select (highlight) the instance from the list.
The instance will appear in the Instance Details panel.
3. In the Instance Details panel, to view the most recent consultation, select the Consultations tab ( ). To view all
previous consultations, select the Notes tab( ).

You can read the consultation. You can send a consultation to reply. See Sending Consultations on page 16.

Viewing an Audit Trail

Audit trails display the activity history of an instance, so you can determine how it reached its current status.
To view the audit trail of an instance:

1. Select an instance from the Work List panel.

The instance will appear in the Instance Details panel.
2. In the Instance Details panel, to view the audit trail, select the Audit Trail tab ( ).

You will see a table with each activity, the events recorded for it (for example, Completed or Instance created), the user
and date for the event, and the copy number of the instance.
To view all the events for a given activity, you must expand the activity by clicking on the expand button ( ). To see
only the last event of the activity, click on the collapse button ( ).

Querying and Viewing Audit Records in WorkSpace

You can query and view audit records for processes in which you are an authorized participant. To do this, use WorkSpace
and follow these steps:

1. Select a process instance from your inbox.

The Instance Detail panel displays information about the selected instance.
2. In the Instance Details panel, select the Audit Trail tab.
A table lists each activity, the events recorded for it, the person responsible, the timestamp, and the copy number.
Note: To view all events of an activity in greater detail, expand the activity.
18 | ALBPM | Panels Overview

Viewing the Business Process

You can view an image of the business process the instance belongs to. The image shows the process and displays a
flag on the current activity of the instance.
To view a business process:

1. Select (highlight) an instance from the Work List panel.

The instance will appear in the Instance Details panel.
2.
In the Instance Detail panel, Select the Process Image icon ( ).

WorkSpace displays a window with an image of the process. A flag ( ) will show the current location of the instance
in the process.
Note: If the process is large, your browser may reduce the size of the image so it will fit the window, making hard
to read the text. In this case, use the appropriate tool in your browser to expand the image to its regular size. You
may need to scroll horizontally or vertically with the larger process image.
 ALBPM | Handling Instances | 19

Handling Instances
Depending on the design of the process, there are a number of actions you can take when working with an instance.
Usually you can execute a task on the instance, or you can perform an operation on the instance.

Executing tasks
Tasks may be optional or required. Optional tasks can be executed from the Instance Detail panel, while mandatory
tasks can be executed from both the Instance Detail panel and the Work List panel.

Performing Operations
Operations are performed from the Work List panel, and are available in the Operations menu. This menu is only
enabled when instances are selected (checkbox) in the Work List, and the options in the panel also vary as a function
of the operations available in the process.

Viewing Instances
You can view a list of instances by selecting a view. Views, which are listed in the Views panel, display collections of
instances that meet the search conditions defined in the view.
A number of Default Views on page 8 are available. In addition to these, custom views can be created, edited, and
deleted.
To view a list of work items:

1. In the Views pane, select a view. It may be necessary to expand a parent view if it contains a child view that you
want to display.

In the Work List panel, a list of instances is displayed in a table with columns that are based on the presentation for the
current view. If no instances appear, then no instances match the conditions of the view.

Sending Instances to the Next Activity

Some instances require that you send them to the next activity after performing a task, while others are sent automatically.
This depends on the design of the process. You can use the Send or Send To operation to send an instance to the next
activity.
If an instance is at an activity form which there is only one path to continue in the process, ALBPM will send it
automatically to the next activity when you complete the execution of the mandatory tasks of the current activity. But
there may be more than one path following the current activity. In this case, the user must specify the next activity or
user with Send To (described below). Other work items might give you the option of sending them to the next activity
while waiting on another task that cannot yet be performed.
To send a work item to the next activity:

1. In the Work List panel, select (checkbox) the instances you want to send.
The Operations menu becomes enabled.
2. From the Operations menu, select Send or, if you need to specify the next activity or participant, select Send To.
If you selected Send To, the Send To dialog box will appear. See Sending Instances to Participants on page 20 for
more information about this option.

The selected instance(s) are sent.

20 | ALBPM | Handling Instances

Sending Instances to Participants

You can send a work item to the next activity and assign it to a specific participant.
To send a work item to a participant:

1. To display a list of work items, in the left pane, click a view name.
2. In the right pane, click the checkbox for the work item you want to send.
3. In the Work Item toolbar, click the Send To Work Item button.
4. In the Send To dialog box, select the participant for the next activity and click Send. For some processes, you might
have to specify the activity you are sending to.

The instance is sent. Other users will not be able to work on the sent work item until the selected participant has performed
an action on it.

Sending Instances Back

If an exception occurs for a work item, you can send it back to the activity were it occurred, and continue processing it
from that point.
To send an instance back to the previous activity:

1. In the Work List, select (checkbox) the instance you want to send back.
The Operations menu becomes enabled.
2. From the Work List Operations menu, select Back.

Note: The Back menu option is only available if an exception handler was included in the process design, and an
exception occurred for the instance selected.
 ALBPM | Reference | 21

Reference

Editing a Business Rule

Business rules can be edited in WorkSpace if the project design includes one or more Business Rule Editor activities.
Like any other activity, a business rule editor activity is assigned to a given role. If any of the roles you are in has been
assigned such an activity, you will be able to edit business rules.
To edit a business rule:

1. In the Applications panel, click on the application which edits the Business Rule. This application will have a name
assigned to it by the project designer.
The business rule editor window will appear.
2. If more than one rule is available, select the rule you will edit from the drop-down list.
The Business Rules editor appears for the rule you have selected.
3. If you are in simple editor mode, you can Adding Conditions on page 21, Editing Conditions on page 21, or Removing
Conditions on page 22 conditions in the business rule, or you can switch to the advanced editor by clicking on
Switch to Advanced Editor.
4. Save your changes and close the business rule Editor when you are done.

To add, edit, or remove conditions, see topics below.

Adding Conditions
To add a condition:

1. To add a condition, select one of the available project variables or business parameters from the Add Condition
drop-down list.
2. Click the Add Simple Expression button.
A new condition line is added.
3. Select a comparison operator from the drop-down list next to the variable or parameter name.
Different operators are available as a function of the data type of the variable or parameter you are comparing.
Operators include Equals, Not Equals, Greater Than, Less Than, and so on.
4. Enter the value that will be compared to in the field on the right. Special options may be available depending on the
data type of the value being compared. For example, a time value field will be accompanied by a calendar tool to
help you pick a date.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 to add more conditions.
6. When you are done, save your changes by clicking Save.

Editing Conditions
To edit a condition:

1. To change the comparison operator, select another one from the drop-down list next to the variable or parameter
name.
22 | ALBPM | Reference

Different operators are available as a function of the data type of the variable or parameter you are comparing. If
you are looking for a comparison operator which is not in the list, it is not valid for the variable or parameter the
condition will test.
2. To change the value that will be compared to, edit the field on the right.
3. When you are done, save your changes by clicking Save.

Removing Conditions
To remove a condition:

1. If you wish to remove a condition, click the Remove icon ( ) on the condition line.
2. When you are done, save your changes by clicking Save.

Advanced Editor Mode

Use the advanced editor mode to write complex business rules. This mode requires PBL coding, so use only if you are
familiar with PBL syntax.
Note: If your write a complex business rule in the advanced editor mode, you will no longer be able to edit this
rule in the simple editor mode.

To use the advanced editor:

1. In the simple editor, click Switch to Advanced Editor.

The advanced editor opens. This is a PBL code editor. If you have already defined any conditions, these will be
shown in code form.
2. In the editor, enter any PBL code you require to implement the business rule. You must exit your code with a return
statement which returns a boolean value (true or false).
For more information about PBL, consult the PBL Reference.
3. Save and close when you are done.